ML19030B552

Kill of Weakfish Now Taking Place at the Intake Structure

ML19030B552
Person / Time
Site:	Salem
Issue date:	07/18/1978
From:	Beck E US Environmental Protection Agency, Region II
To:	Rich Smith Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Public Service Electric & Gas Co
References
Download: ML19030B552 (2)

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~6 July 18, 1978 CJ

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Mr. nobert I. Smith, President Public Service Electric and Gas Company*

• 80 Purl< Plaza Newark, New Jersey 07101 Deur l\\1r. Smith:

Representatives of your company, your biological consultant and interested governmental agencies met July 13th with members 6f my staff to discuss the kill of weakfish now taking place at the intake structure of the company's Salem Number One nuclear generating plant on the Delaware River.

It was apparent at tl1e meeting that the biologists cannot yet say with confidence how significant this incident is in terms of long-range impact on the weakfish population. That is, not enough data are in hand to determine whether this is an unusual migratory movement of these fish, whether the condition is localized in the urea of.the plant, or whether this is an unusual population boom of w~akfish.

llowever, wl1ile tl1ese additional data are being gathered, the continuing kill of lmgc numbers of this importunt sport and commercial species. Ls cause for concern.

At that meeting, we urged that whatever steps could be reasonably taken by your company to mitigate the incident should be curried out. I was encouraged by some of the nc tions PSE&G has already proposed and by tl1e cooperation shown by your technical staff in supplying our* biologists with sump ling results. We will monitor carefully the results of your proposed actions and, as you are aware, EPA will be meeting with PSE&G technical staff to assess progress in the situation on Monday, July 24, at your Newark, N.J. offices.

EPA does not intend, at this *time, to order mitigating steps in the short term.

However, I U:m confident your desire to demonstrate that Salem. One can be operated with minimal adverse impact on the environment will lead you to giving the matter your urgent consideration.

As you know, in the longer term, EPA is evaluating the terms of the *discharge per*mit for Salem One and Two under Section 316 of the Clean Water Act. Your cornpnny 1111d its consultant are gathering duta to show whether the protections in the plant's once-though cooling system. are adequate to minimize adverse environmental impact on shellfish, fish and wildlife in the Delaware River. This must be demonstrated before EPA can approve operation of the plant in the present mode. Undoubtedly one provision you will want to include in yol.1r submission is an eff ec live contingency plan for mrinuging und mitiguting incidents such us the present one.

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• Once again, I urge you to continue to give this mutter yqur immediate* attention nnd *to let me know at your earliest convenience a*dditional corrective steps Public Service Electric 11nd Gas proposes to take if your present actions do not effectively reduce the number of fish now being killed.

At you1* service, Ad minis tra tor cc:

The Honorable Harrison A. Williams, Jr.

The Honorable William J. Hughes bee:

Larry Snowitz Office of congressional Affairs (A-102)

Kirke Harper ORIO (A-101)

Shelley E. Asen 2CIR

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